Saturday, September 3, 2011

This is the other little Haus of Gloi item I received when I won the Product Pixie blog prize package. I still can’t believe how generous she was! Anyways, this is an itty bitty little perfume vial (5 ml) of Haus of Gloi’s Depravity scent. When I first looked at this I went “wow it’s small!” Then I went, “and it’s a perfume. Might as well give it a sniff then pass it along to my sister.” (Which by the way is my usual reaction to perfume vials as stated in my last Haus of Gloi review (here) I’m highly allergic to most perfumes)

Let’s just say my sister didn’t get this one.

I instantly loved the scent. Depravity is exactly as rich and heady as you’d expect from a perfume whose label is exemplified by a Gypsy Woman belly dancing. When I first smell it I get a bouquet of berries that had been preserved in liquor of some sort with spices. That falls away fairly quickly once it hits my skin and I find turns to insense a little bit of smoke, and the spice note from before. Eventually (read hours) later the perfume completely settles leaving a still strong sweet berry slightly powdery scent that I really love.

Like someone else said in their review (though I can’t remember for the life of me who, if it’s you please contact me and I’ll give you credit) these perfume oils keep the scents close to your skin, so someone has to get close to smell them instead of wafting around the person that causes people to stop and hack up a lung coughing.

I and the other reviewer both like this. I don’t want to bother other people with a scent that may not be to their preference but I still want to be able to smell it. It’s a wonderful compromise. Plus you know someone was much too close (or I suppose has an excellent sense of smell) if they comment on it. Hehe.

The little vial Depravity came in has a wand to apply it with, and you only need about one or two drops to last you all day. I personally like to apply perfume to my inner elbows and on the pulse point of my neck but you can apply these anywhere on the skin. (Don’t apply them to your clothes! These are oils and are yellow in colour (natural) and can stain your fabrics!)

I did find the little vial fiddly to work with (especially as it was filled to the very top, which I guess is both a good and bad thing). I transferred as much as I could out of the little vial into a dropper (which works very well) and then dabbed the mostly empty vial on myself for a few days till I’d gotten almost all of it out. I don’t know what the full size versions of Haus of Gloi packaging is like to compare to but when I receive my autumn order with a couple full size bottles I’ll let you know in those scent reviews.

When the oil goes on your skin of course it does feel slightly oily. However these oils sink into the skin almost right away (if they don’t you’re using too much!). Definitely enough time to transfer the oil to different places on your skin but not so long that you’ll get it on things.

I think this is a good idea in all honesty. Considering how much the average perfume costs the amount of perfume we lose to spray through the air to hit us must be astronomical. Plus I can go back and sniff the inside of my elbow if I want to smell it stronger again (strange I know but it smells so nice!)

The perfume oils seem to wash away very easily too so if you want to change perfumes and have only placed the first one in one or two areas you can take it off with soap and water easily. I found this out by having some on my wrists then washing my hands later on and finding the scent had vanished.

The perfume oil hasn’t caused any skin irritations (like acne or a rash) that some perfumes can, even when applied to the neck. I do still get a very slight allergic reaction (itchy nose) when I apply Depravity to my neck as well as my inner elbows, but I’m fine if I leave it off my neck or take an allergy pill. That’s a super better reaction than a killer headache, itchiness in the back of the throat and trying to claw my nose and eyes off my face in torment that I get with almost all of mainline brand perfumes.

The perfume oils generally cost $2.50 USD for a glass sample vial (5ml), and $12.50 USD for a full size amber-glass perfume bottle (25ml). I know the next time I come into a little money I’m going to be placing an order for a full size Depravity. It smells so nice!

Overall, I don’t know what they’re doing at Haus of Gloi to come of with these wonderful things that they do but I want some of it.

Sprite Rating: 10/10- I love this perfume, nothing bad to say about it!

Would I buy it again? Yes! I'll be ordering a full size when I get a chance.

Also please note, like colours and tastes people can have very different opinions on what smells good to them. This is just how I’ve perceived this scent to be. Plus each persons unique body chemistry reacts slightly differently to each perfume formula, changing what you smell. This can sometimes be a good change or a bad change, but it’s rarely exactly the same from person to person, so please keep that in mind. Thanks!

3 comments:

I'm with Zillah, it's probably the first scent I tried from them and it completely bowled me over. It's wonderful! I made the switch to perfume oils a couple of years ago and I'm so, so glad I did. I have discovered more unusual scents using indie perfume oils (if you haven't discovered BPAL yet, you're in for a huge treat!) and they last a lot longer for the price, like you mentioned. I'm a convert now! :)By the way, I loved your review, I think you covered this so nicely. I love to read bath and body reviews!

@zillah and Nicole- Depravity continues to blow me away every time I wear it. It's just so nice! Thank-you both for your comments! Nicole, I'll def. have to check out BPAL, but so far I am loving indie bath and body products!